ACROSS
1 - One politician and runaway cadet collided (8) - {I}{MP}{ACTED}
5 - Unreliable person useless for omelette-making? (3,3) - BAD EGG [CD]
10 - One who takes up a redtop variant (7) - ADOPTER*
11 - One for the “Sent” folder? (7) - OUTPOST [CD]
12 - Article on the sea having a single subject (6) - {THE}{MED}
13 - Investigation about hearing in school cut by half (8) - {RE}{S{EAR}CH
15 - Besides, kinds of mail are swamping Lok Sabha (4) - {E{LS}E} E from e-mail. Nice clue
16 - Estate employee in mega toss by goalie (10) - {GAME*}{KEEPER}
18 - It's a fifty-fifty allotment (5,5) - EQUAL SHARE [E]
20 - I study a picture on the desktop (4) - {I}{CON}
23 - They spoil those who utter wildly about silver (8) - {RAV{AG}ERS}
24 - Sword in disrepair? (6) - RAPIER [T*] Rapier does come out from Disrepair but I am confused as to how this clue works as dis is removed and repair anagrammed.
27 - Reindeer vehicle I half-purchased (7) - {CAR}{I}{BOU
28 - Makes a stab at some writing (6) - ESSAYS [DD]
29 - The sort of natives found in oyster beds (8) - CULTURED [CD]
DOWN
1 - Irrelevant bit he retailed about old Russian Tsar (4,3,8) - IVAN THE TERRIBLE*
2 - Methodology formed by expert on tax (7) - {PRO}{CESS}
3 - Butcher's offering allowed after a discount (6) - {CUT}{LET}
4 - Gain experience to put the first of the load out and make money (4) -
6 - Later Ned leapt out like a deer perhaps (8) - ANTLERED*
7 - This outing should inflate one's opinion of oneself (3,4) - EGO TRIP [CD]
8 - Be treated evasively (3,3,9) - GET THE RUNAROUND [CD]
9 - Hearst and Leo somehow become discouraged (4,5) - LOSE HEART*
14 - Money plant's yields? Not exactly! (4,5) - CASH CROPS [CD]
17 - To a small degree, sly about answer-word (8) - {S{LIGHT}LY}
19 - Reveals to liven us in a way (7) - UNVEILS*
21 - Chhattisgarh's top and flexible mountaineer (7) - {C}{LIMBER}
22 - Mimic Polly (6) - PARROT [DD]
25 - Linen of the cruder sort (4) - ECRU [T]
Gridman signing off with an easy one...
ReplyDeleteLiked almost all the clues.
25D: Not sure about this one. While Linen is a fiber, Ecru is a color. Don't know how they're synonymous.
24A: Maybe Gridman's used the prefix "dis-" as the anagram indicator. I think this is all right considering what the prefix generally implies.
Deepak
ReplyDeleteYou score yet again for the selection of pic. for BAD EGG.
Gridman's crosswords are greatly enhanced by your regular and on-time solving and the visual treat that you provide.
More on 25D,
ReplyDeleteThe natural color of linen is ecru, but still they don't mean the same thing.
Ecru describes the shade greyish-pale yellow or a light greyish-yellowish brown. It is often used to describe such fabrics as silk and linen in their unbleached state
ReplyDeleteCV,
ReplyDeleteWhat were the answers to the 'fill in the blanks' posted yesterday?
A few questions re today's clues. The puzzle was easier to solve today than normal.
ReplyDelete12A Sea - Med. Is the reference to Mediterranean?
20A I study.. how does CON come up?
17D answer-word - light?
Deepak, I addressed this point in one of my earlier posts too. Yep, in unbleached/ unprocessed state, the color of linen (and most other natural fibers) is ecru but I've never seen the two words used interchangeably - at least not in the industry (which I'm part of..) Maybe it's an informal usage among certain consumers.
ReplyDeleteThe dictionary meanings for ECRU are
ReplyDeleteunbleached linen; its off-white or light greyish-brown colour.
In the clue
Linen of the cruder sort
the def. is "linen", "of" the indicator that the answer is hidden within what follows, "the cruder sort" the holder of the letter string, with 'sort' hanging in there.
There is no conflict there. The colour meaning is of no consequence.
VJ: Many of the commenters here are known to each other by virtue of their being members of other related fora; some of them have even met each other while on a visit to the place where others are. Deepak, Bhargav, Richard, Shuchi, Maddy, Bhavan and so many others know of each other by various posts. You remain mysterious! Your defence of the use of American spelling in grids and your using it instinctively in your message makes me wonder if you are an American or an NRI living in the US or are an ex-NRI living in Bombay (er Mumbai - before the Shiv Sena brigade pounces on me). Will appreciate some essential details. You may, if you don't want to go public, send me an email chaturvasi{at}yahoo{dot}com
As for me just google chaturvasi!
VJ
ReplyDeleteMy long post was being typed when your last post came up.
I have just gathered that you are in the textile industry. Thank you.
Giridhar
ReplyDeleteMed is short for Mediterranean. It is an accepted abbr. Is in Chambers.
'con' means to study.
What is the third question?
Ah yes...
ReplyDelete"light" - in a crossword, the word (or sometimes an individual letter in the word) on the diagram that is the answer to a clue.
(Chambers again)
Re yesterday's FITB clues that remain unsolved, let Richard or any other member today have their say before I disclose the answers in the evening. (They may not be as good as Richard's notable example.)
ReplyDeleteChaturvasi, Thanks for your post. It's fun to be a part of this nice group.
ReplyDeleteI post on other message boards too, but this is the only one that happens to be on crosswords. BTW, I'm pretty much Indian.
CV
ReplyDeleteThanks for the answers. I have never come across 'con' used for 'to study' before, so its a new meaning/usage learnt today.
Richard: Just heard horrific AI crash in Mangalore. Any updates ?
ReplyDeleteHi everyone
ReplyDelete@ Krishnan, thanks for the enquiry.
Have been away from desk and Net access for long on two counts since yesterday:
1. A friend's brereavement. Just back from his mom's cremation rites. Logged in only to check mail and blog for a while.
2. Being in the media, have been out since early morning in connection with the Mangalore air crash.
Rescue status as at 1000 hrs IST:
http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=62005
will log in again only late evening.
Giridhar et al
ReplyDeleteAnswers
It was PATENT that PA TENT was not for Ma!
The PLAN GENT had, unlike that of the women's, was PLANGENT.
FOR TUNE, the maestro demanded a FORTUNE as his fee.
ReplyDelete@VJ - Do you have a clue in your "I am a pretty Indian"? or "handsome"
ReplyDeleteSubramaniam, it could be if it's a given that all Indians are naturally pretty and handsome :)
ReplyDelete